Page 17 of Stefano
I close my eyes, pressing my thighs together as if that could shield me.My breaths come fast and shallow.I pray Stefano comes soon.Before Matías loses his grip on his men.Before the cruelty in their eyes turns into something worse.
Time stretches on.My head grows heavy, my body numb from the restraints.My thoughts drift, carried away on exhaustion.Memories bubble to the surface, pulling me back to moments I thought I’d buried.
The first time I saw Stefano.The way he walked into the room, sharp suit, dark eyes, lethal presence that made everyone step aside.My heart had tripped over itself, my breath caught in my throat.He hadn’t even looked at me, and still, I was ruined.
The times I caught him watching me at dinners, his gaze lingering a second too long before he snapped it away.The heat in his eyes when I wore something fitted.The way he always pulled back, as if fighting some war inside himself.
The memory of his voice, low and rough, when he said my name once.Andrea.Like it was dangerous to even speak it.Tears slide silently down my cheeks.I’ve wanted him for so long it hurts.And now, tied to this chair in a cartel warehouse, I might never get the chance to tell him.
But if I die tonight, at least I’ll die knowing the truth, that he mattered more than anyone.That every laugh, every glance, every aching silence between us meant something to me.
The sound of a door creaking open snaps me back to the present.Heavy boots thud against the floor.My heart lurches, my breath catching.
It’s not him.Not yet.Just another guard swapping shifts, his face half-hidden by the low light.He nods at Matías, mutters something, then settles into a chair near the entrance.
Matías drags another chair in front of me and sits, his elbows on his knees, his dark gaze never leaving mine.“Do you know why men like Stefano fall?”he asks quietly.
I stay silent, my pulse racing.
“Because of women like you.Sweet.Soft.Innocent.You’re the crack in the armor.You’re the reason he’ll walk into this place and die.”
I swallow hard, forcing my voice to steady.“You don’t know him.”
His smile is sharp.“Then tell me.What is he to you?”
My heart stutters.What is he to me?Everything.The reason I blush at night, the shadow in my dreams, the ache in my chest every time he turns away.The man I want even though I know I shouldn’t.
But I don’t give Matías the truth.I give him a weapon.
“He’s the man who will kill you.”
His jaw tightens.For the first time, his smile falters.
More time crawls by.My body screams for water, for rest, for release from the zip ties biting into my skin.But my mind clings stubbornly to the fading ember of hope.I replay every glance, every flicker of hunger in Stefano’s eyes, every time he almost touched me before pulling back.
The guards start to grow restless.One paces, muttering.Another kicks over a bottle.The tension in the room thickens with every passing minute, the air sour with alcohol and frustration.
Matías notices too.His gaze sharpens, flicking from man to man.He barks another warning, his tone lethal, and for now, it keeps them in line.But I see it in their eyes, they’re waiting for him to slip, for one order not to come, for one distraction.Then they’ll take what they want.
Panic claws at me, but I push it down.I can’t break.Not now.Not when I know he’s coming.
I tilt my head back, staring at the ceiling, whispering words no one can hear.“Please, Stefano.Find me.”My voice cracks, tears sliding hot down my temples.“I need you.”
The guards laugh at something crude, their voices a dull roar in the background.Matías leans back in his chair, watching me like a hunter waiting for his prey to collapse.
But I don’t collapse.Not yet.
Because somewhere out there, Stefano is moving toward me.I can feel it, as sure as the blood pounding in my veins.He’s coming.For me.
And when he walks through that door, hell itself won’t be able to stop him.
